Securing our energy future highlighted at Offshore Energy 2013

On 15 & 16 October 2013 the 6th Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference was held Amsterdam RAI. The two-day event was attended by 9, 123 international visitors, an increase of 20% compared to last year.

Official opening: The state of the world
By the push on the button of Ko Colijn, Sander Vergroesen, Managing Director IRO, the Association of Dutch Suppliers in the Oil and Gas Industry and Coert van Zijll Langhout, Managing Director of Offshore Energy’s organizer Navingo BV, Offshore Energy 2013 opened its doors. Vergroesen spoke about the offshore business which is in the middle of worldwide developments and comes with challenges, threats, demands and a lot of opportunities. In addition Ko Colijn, General Director “Clingendael” Netherlands Institute of International Relations, addressed the current and expected political consequences of the conflict in the Middle East in relation to the oil and offshore sector.

Exhibition
For the sixth time in a row Offshore Energy s growing numbers. Almost 500 exhibitors (414 in 2013) showcased their innovative ideas, products and services to the industry. The exhibition was extended from one to three exhibition halls instead of one, including the new China Pavilion.
True to tradition, both days ended with drinks on the exhibition floor. Exhibitors, visitors, delegates, sponsors, partners and speakers networked, socialized and toasted to new business and strengthened relations with existing clients.

Conference program
Offshore Energy 2013 also offered several interesting conferences and masterclasses. During these well visited meetings experts and interested parties discussed trends, innovations and hot topics in the offshore industry. The conferences addressed advances in wave and tidal energy, North Sea exploration and production and state-of–the-art vessels for the offshore industry. During the technical session Minimizing environmental impacts of oil & gas operations, experts discussed possibilities to prevent environmental damage. Also, opportunities in East-Africa, addressing developments, innovations and possibilities in rising African countries where part of the program.

Panels
Organized for the first time during Offshore Energy and unique in the Netherlands, the Drilling and Dollars Panel discussed the investment opportunities in the oil & gas industry. Financial experts like Rob le Mair (Director Energy at ABN Amro), Wim van Wijngaarden (Vice President Oil & Gas at NIBC Bank) and others talked about the quest for alternative funding in oil and gas under the supervision of chairman Jan-Hein Jesse, Advisor in the area of oil, gas and finances.

Returning from last year, the Industry Panel was now hosted by John Andrews, consultant editor at The Economist. This panel, with some of the best positioned industry representatives, offered a mix of presentations and interactive discussions with the audience.

How can you attract technical talents? And how can you retain them? These were questions raised during the Human Capital Panel. Next to industry experts like Jules Croonen (Vice President Human Resources Benelux and France, Shell) and Hugo Bouvy (Director, Tideway), three students gave a unique insiders’ view on the thoughts and choices of the next generation.

Masterclasses for young professionals
The masterclasses, organized in collaboration with De Baak, were especially designed for young professionals who want to develop their competences. Van Oord Offshore Wind Project Services, Heerema Marine Contractors and Damen Shipyard Groups provided the masters from whom the young professionals could learn today.

Offshore Wind
During the second day of Offshore Energy, the Offshore WIND Installation and Maintenance Conference was held nearby. This WIND Conference brought together experts from every part of the industry to give their opinions on how better planning, equipment and securing finance in the offshore wind industry can lead to one of the major aims that concerns the offshore wind sector; getting the price down.

Offshore Energy 2014
Next year Offshore Energy Exhibition & Conference will be held on 28 & 29 October 2014. The organization thanks all exhibitors, visitors, sponsors, partners, speakers and delegates for their support and contribution to this years’ event.

In November the website www.offshore-energy.biz will be updated with information about participating and visiting Offshore Energy 2014.